My Queen
by LoveWhatYouWrite
Summary: AU. Set in the enchanted forest. Cora and Henry are currently ruling. Emma is a knight in the Mill's Kingdom. The relationship between a certain blonde knight and a brown eyed princess has to be kept a secret but how can it last when Regina is to be wed, by the insistence of her mother.
1. Always My Queen

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognisable characters. I do not own the lyrics from 'Overjoyed' by Matchbox 20.

* * *

"The smile on your face like summer. The way that your hand keeps touching mine…" The blonde's words softly complimented the instrumental piece as the pair glided across the floor.

Hands to waist. Arms secured around a neck. A steady heart beat pounding beneath an ear pressed against the coarse material of a uniform covered chest.

'Maybe let me hold you…' The blonde trailed off with her song.

Oblivious to the other dancers and the crowd on the outskirts of the dance floor, the two women slightly pulled apart. Bluish green orbs locked onto warm brown as pale lips descended.

An oversized hand gripped onto the blonde's shoulder, jerking her backwards; causing her to collide with another pair who were circulating the floor. The broad chested man, sporting a scruffy beard and a sneer took over; placing his hands to the brunette's hips. He was the head knight of the royal guard, Ser William.

With a sinister gleam in his eye and a pungent odour on his breath, Ser William announced to the princess, "You don't need to take pity on that filthy bastard, your majesty. Her place is with the dogs."

"I don't know why the Queen allows such riff raff to dance with her precious daughter," the Knight stated.

"She's a knight, just like _you_, is she not?" princess Regina asked.

The man snorted, "that _thing_ is nothing like me."

The princess' struggles against the well-muscled brute were to no avail. Her face contorted with disgust as the Knight meshed their bodies closer together. As his hand slid down the brunette's gown to grope at her rear, he felt a tap on his shoulder. With a snarl he turned his head to be met with a pale fist to his face. The crack of his nose being broken was easily heard. As blood lightly trickled over his mouth, the Knight growled and lunged for the blonde.

His lumbered movements were no match for the blonde's swift counter attack. Another two blows to Ser William's face sent the Knight onto his back, out cold. A pale hand sporting red knuckles with bruising starting to show, reached out palm up and waited. The princess' slender fingers skimmed across the palm before curling to grip to the offered hand. A small smile graced the blonde's face as a soft pink flushed an olive toned neck. The princess followed her lead through the crowd, making a hasty exit.

Making their way along the corridor, passing lit torches every so often, the pair walked in a comfortable silence. In all honesty, the blonde had no idea where she was leading them to; she hadn't spent a lot of time within the actual castle. The noise of the room filled with royals, knights, honoured guests and musicians slowly faded away as the two women continued to move along. Just after a turn into another corridor, a tug at the blonde's wrist brought her to a stop.

Glancing at the princess she asked with concern, "Is something the matter, my Queen?"

With a slight nod in the direction of the door to her right, "this is my room, knight."

The two shared a silent conversation before the princess opened the door, leading a smirking blonde into the waiting darkness.

* * *

An orange hue began to light up the princess' bed chambers. Slightly calloused fingers trailed up and down a soft, olive toned arm which was resting across a scarred torso. Dark brown locks splayed across the blonde's chest. The silence in the room was broken as the princess hummed with contentment.

"Better than that wine infused swine?" the blonde asked with disgust.

"Mmm," which more so sounded like "I suppose" came from the face pressed to her neck.

"Mmm? MMM?" the knight growled as she unleashed a frenzy of fingers into the brunette's sides causing an outburst of laughter and short gasps, desperate for air.

Rolling over the brunette to straddle her waist, the blonde continued her attack.

"Tell me that I'm better," the blonde ordered, failing to hide to her smile as tears formed in the princess' eyes.

"Say it. Say I'm better," her tone almost came as a whine.

"You're … better. You're better … dear … better," was voiced between the fits of laughter.

The tickle onslaught ceased.

Sitting back with her hands resting on her toned thighs, the blonde flashed her signature smirk, "I knew it."

With her chest still slightly heaving, the brunette rolled her eyes playfully; a smirk of her own gracing her full lips. A pale finger brushed a stray dark lock behind an ear before tracing down along a jawline. Blue green eyes stared into molten brown with complete adoration.

The seemingly endless moment the two shared was broken with the princess' soft admission, "I love you, Emma."

It was the first time those words had been uttered out loud by either of them. Sudden warmth swelled within Emma's chest which slowly spread throughout the rest of her body. It only added to what she had admitted to herself after three months of being a knight in the Mill's kingdom.

"And I you, my Queen."

The princess lightly slapped the blonde's thigh, "I keep telling you, I'm just a princess."

Cradling Regina's face between her hands, Emma bent down to hover just above her lips. Her blonde, unruly curls cascaded about them; shielding them from the outside world. The brunette felt her knight's warm skin flush against her.

Regina's heartbeat accelerated as the blonde whispered, "No. You will always be, my Queen."


	2. Possessive

9 months have passed.

* * *

The sweat which had gathered on her forehead, started to track down into her eyes. It must have been the middle of the day, the blonde pondered. Being inside the stables was becoming unbearable. Emma had been in there for hours; part of a training regime that Ser William had invented. Apparently it was to condition the knights to harsh environments. In all honesty, the blonde hadn't heard of any other knight being put through it. Somehow, she wasn't surprised. She wiped her brow once more.

After what seemed like days, well definitely a day in total had passed as the stables were cooler, a slightly intoxicated Head Knight unlocked and staggered through the door. A water skin was grasped firmly in his left hand. The blonde let out a small sigh of relief as she caught the skin that had been thrown at her. To say she was thirsty was an understatement. Ripping the stopper off, Emma threw her head back, only to gulp down stale air. She stared up at the raised skin, brows slowly creasing into a frown. The obnoxious laughter from the heavy set man to her right caused her to drop the skin and stare at him.

"Did you really think I'd bring you water?" the man sneered.

"What kind of real knight needs a drink after one measly day in a stable?" he asked with disgust.

"You barely last until you've finished the first drink," the blonde stated flatly as she quirked an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, the sheen of sweat she had been standing in all day, mixed with the lack of food and water, left the knight slightly weary on her feet. Ser William may have been appointed the Head of the Knights but he knew Emma would always be the better fighter out of the two. He took the opportunity to manoeuvre a well-placed jab to Emma's gut, effectively doubling the blonde over for a knee to the face. The blonde groaned as she tried to gain traction with her boots on the loose hay she'd fallen onto. Just as she pushed up from her knee, a fist swung, connecting with the side of her head.

Emma spat out the blood which had pooled in her mouth. Without missing a beat, she looked up with her cocky grin in place, "So, is this a part of the training too?"

The bottom of a large boot knocked her back down from the crouching position she had managed to get into.

"Yes this is part of the training!" Ser William spoke angrily.

After a quick visual self-examination, the blonde continued, "And what training is that? I've seen no other knight be put through this."

"It's the training that is putting you in your place, you fucking bastard," the Head Knight spat on the blonde.

The thick phlegm slowly slid down her cheek. The man glared at the blonde, his blue eyes darkening, challenging her to get up, to do something. Unfortunately, she knew she was in no state to win this fight; no matter how much she wanted to rip his throat out.

Hanging her head with a frustrated sigh, Emma asked, "What did I do wrong?"

She could already list twenty. Every one of them included the princess. The smallest upturn at the corners of her lips occurred.

"You know fucking well what you did," the man seethed.

A brief look of panic flashed in the blonde's eyes before it quickly vanished. No, they had been careful, Emma thought to herself. She looked to the Head Knight with a look of utter confusion. _If it's not to do with Regina, what could it possibly be, _she wondered. The open palm of his right hand whipped across her left cheek, pushing her head to the side with its force.

"Don't treat me like a fool, knight. I know it was **your** idea that the princess should go outside the castle with less guards."

He began to pace furiously in front of her.

"I know it was **your** idea to have the guards dress as common folk so the princess could walk freely amongst the people."

He stopped.

"I also, fucking know, it was **your** idea to not have me with the princess as apparently my face is too familiar to those common folk," the man growled as he hovered dangerously above the blonde who was still situated on the ground.

Emma didn't really understand or see the problem but tried to defuse the situation by retelling the facts calmly.

"The princess wanted to see the kingdom, meet the people but without an army. The Queen agreed she should see the kingdom without the flare that comes with being royalty. Her majesty trusts her knights to keep her daughter safe…"

Ser William couldn't stand it anymore. His intake of wine had tampered with is reasoning. A large hand gripped the front of Emma's shirt, drawing it tight before yanking her into the air; the tips of her boots barely touching the ground.

"You are a mere foot soldier, barely ranked high enough to clean the muck from my boots. And yet, you are sent with only **one** other knight to escort our princess, to protect our princess."

His voice rose with every word as his face closed in on Emma's.

"To protect **my** princess from those **worthless** peasants!"

Emma met his hardened gaze, "I am a knight, not a foot soldier. I can and I will protect the princess, or any member of the royal family for that matter, with my life. We all would. It was and is a part of our oath as a knight to …"

The words finally sunk in, 'my princess', that's what this was all about. The grip on her throat tightened, making the act of breathing a bit difficult.

"You love her," Emma stated barely above a whisper.

"Yes! But something, or you, keep getting in my way!"

Before the blonde could respond, her body connected with the side of the stable before she crumpled to the floor unconscious.


	3. Before Now

Back Story

Cora had always been an ambitious woman. She strived to be more than a Miller's daughter, a mere peasant, unheard, unseen. She had dreams, aspirations, and a desire that was unmatched. She wanted to rule, to control those who had turned their backs on her, who had spat on her. Those who had said she was nothing; the pompous, gold wearing, pathetic beings who hid behind guards and high walls. Soon she would not need to hide, Cora was learning magic, dark magic and she had made a deal. All deals and magic come with a price, she gladly paid with the removal of her heart.

When the opportunity to wed Prince Henry arose, thanks to a certain meddling imp, Cora grasped onto it tightly. She needed to climb higher though and with the unfortunate, and perhaps not due to natural causes, death of Henry's father, Cora played the supportive wife; sympathetic but strong for her husband who had to become King. Cora was Queen, finally holding the power she sought but still it wasn't enough.

It was with the birth of her sweet daughter, Regina however, that Cora's vision grew. Why stop at one Kingdom? All she needed to do was mould Regina into the perfect princess; a princess ready to be a doting wife and a perfect royal. She would marry her off to a neighbouring Kingdom. All Cora would need to do then would be to get rid of whatever pathetic King stood in her way. That would be easy, she had magic; it was how she had built her status so quickly after all. Once the King was removed, Regina's new husband prince turned King would be disposed of also. Oh yes, she would make her daughter into a Queen. With magic, united Kingdoms and armies they would rule the entire Enchanted Forest by the time she was through.

Henry on the other hand, didn't have a scheme, a plan in mind for his little girl. He doted on his daughter from the moment he had laid eyes on her. In secret, Henry would teach Regina sword play and insisted she learn how to ride. He would give anything to see those russet orbs to light up and for that smile; that smile could brighten the darkest room. Unfortunately, his coddling ways weren't appreciated by his wife.

Henry watched from the side lines, doing what he could to stay out of Cora's way. It was a shame that he was such a weak man, a coward really; only becoming weaker as the years passed by. His wife at times was awfully cruel to their daughter but all he did was stand by. Watching the vines, coil around their child, until she submitted. Eyes widening with every line inflicted, that would open to allow blood to track down Regina's smooth skin; only to see the wounds heal and vanish.

Of course he would hold his daughter close until her tears ceased once the punishment had ended. Yes, he kept infection away from her split upper lip; the only time Cora had left her mark as a reminder. To his surprise, Regina never looked at him with betrayal in her eyes; no she loved her Daddy. As Henry watched his daughter bloom, the fact he never begged his wife to stop, not once; only gained in weight on his heart.

It was the summer of the year Regina turned 16 that Henry found a blonde girl amongst the ruins of a burnt village. The girl was covered in soot and lying unconscious with a few deep gashes littering her body. Just like the other bodies they found, one of the knights felt for a pulse. Unlike the ones before, this girl held a very weak pulse and so the knight decided to do what was right and end her suffering quickly. For reasons, he would never be able to explain, Henry halted the action and the girl was brought along, back to his castle.

After one moon's cycle of being in and out of consciousness and fighting to live, green-blue eyes finally opened. With her healthy appetite and desire to thank those who saved her, Emma Swan, at the ripe age of 13, went against protocol and begged to be trained into a knight. Against all odds, her new sovereigns allowed and so began Emma's training. She was a fast learner and continued training in the solitude of her quarters. The blonde became quite a worthy opponent.

Emma had seen the royal family she had been training to protect and to fight for but it was the cool afternoon of the fifth month of being in the castle did she lay eyes on the princess. Being young and not knowing what the feeling was, the blonde knew, as she watched the brunette ride effortlessly across the plains, that until her last breath she would protect the princess above all else. That day, the seed was planted within her chest and it only grew as the years rolled on.

Regina grew up under the strict instruction of her mother. Every gesture, every word she spoke was drilled into her mind through repetition and punishment for each failure. The way she sat, the clothes she wore, the knowledge she was fed, all had a purpose. Regina worked this out before her mother's announcement that she was at the age to marry, on her 14th birthday. The announcement only made her realise how much her life had never and would never be her own. That was the day she promised herself to get in as much horse riding, sword play, time at the lake and story time with her father.

By the age of 11 she realised her father was weak, after all she had been taught every trait, emotion etc. that made a person weak; but not once did her love waiver for him. No she understood the reasoning behind being afraid of her mother; she knew first hand. It made her strive to be better, to excel in every lesson; she had to ensure the safety of her father. With this in mind, she found faults in every prince she was forced to socialise with. The brunette understood to a degree, the reasoning for uniting the Kingdoms but she also knew that Cora would not stand for an incompetent husband for her daughter.

This technique prevented Regina from leaving their castle but it also prevented the brunette from forming any sort of relationship. That was until Emma Swan had shown up. Regina would always remember her fathers' story of finding the blonde and the fight she had given to live. It had started with the blonde thinking she had the right to speak to her as she passed the training grounds on the way to the stables; which at some point had turned into her watching the blonde train once her riding lessons were complete. Somewhere between the glances which lasted too long and the apparent chance meetings on horseback, a friendship formed and evolved into something Regina refused to let go of.

Unfortunately, Cora had noticed the budding relationship between the two growing girls. She would use it to her advantage, what better way to ensure the safety of her daughter than by keeping an infatuated knight-to-be within close proximity? When the time arose, the blonde would be disposed of. No one would stand in the way of the plan she had worked meticulously on since her daughter's birth.

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_~~I wish this could be better but my writing skills are most definitely lacking._

_Thank you for faves and follows. They are most appreciated. Also, thank you for comments . . I think I'd love some stripping shreds criticism~~_


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